Inam Life, a project in which rider Ki Inamura reports on the world's park situation and contest situation, has started.From the perspective of Tatsuki, who is active at the forefront of the contest scene, we will convey the current contest scene.The first such Inam Life was living in Australia in the summer.Snowboarding life in Australia spent with friends.
This summer I decided to go to a ski resort called Perisher in Australia.I was skating in New Zealand at this time of the year, but when I heard that there was a tournament called Mile High and that the park was in good condition and the weather was stable, I decided to fly to Australia for the first time.
Arriving in Australia, first rent a car at Sydney Airport.From there, it's a 6-hour drive south to the city of Jindabyne, where I'm staying this time.The 30-minute journey from Jindabyne to the ski resort was well maintained, but I was about to retire the kangaroos that popped out on the way. Experience THE Australia immediately.Kangaroos were the only caveat to the drive.
When I arrived at Perisher, the altitude of the mountain itself was not high, but the slopes were wide.It's so wide that I slipped and got lost once.Our goal, a cool park, was beautifully shaped in the center of the Perisher slopes.
Well-maintained Perisher Park
When I slipped, all the sections were well maintained and I was able to flush without feeling stress.Moreover, there are T-bars and lifts on the left and right across the park, so you can run at a fast pace, which is the best environment for practicing.The size and items are perfect.
The most impressive thing was that many famous riders gathered here.Of course, one of the reasons may be that there is a big tournament called Mile High, but the high quality of this park seemed to attract many riders.In fact, national teams from each country, mainly in North America and Scandinavia, also came, and after the tournament, everyone stayed here and enjoyed practicing and shooting.To be honest, it was the first time for a park to attract such top riders.It was a good experience for me to be able to see their slides live outside the tournament, as well as to slide them in the same park and feel them on my skin.
"Mile High", a contest where the world's top riders gather
This summer, the biggest slopestyle competition "Mile High" was held here at Perisher.This tournament was a very rare tournament where two courses, a jump course and a jib course, were prepared, unlike the slopestyle course where general jumps and jib were mixed.The tournament format was to slide two runs on each course, and the total of the best runs on the jump course and jib course would be ranked.
Since there are 4 sections for both the jump course and the jib course, variations in the rider's skills are simply required.In addition, each section itself was simple and it was a very interesting course where you could slide on various lines depending on your creativity.
What caught my eye here was the Americans.Each person is very free and unique, perhaps because of their nationality.I personally loved the playful skiing that made me forget about the tournament, as it was a slip that stirs my creativity even for the viewer.Now that the difficulty of the technique is high and it is difficult to put out a style, I think that winning the tournament while maintaining a cool style is the eternal theme of the rider in the competition.I was reminded of such a thing by seeing this tournament.
Among Japanese, 15-year-old Ken Otsuka is the highest 13th place.It is unusual for young Japanese people to have not only jumps but also jib skills with a high degree of difficulty, and I am very much looking forward to the future.
I visited this ski resort for the first time, but the weather is stable and relatively warm.In fact, even though I had been staying for a month and a half since August, I hadn't worn my clothes for five days.Because it was warm like this, my body moved well and I was able to slide in spring-like conditions.And I thought again, the weather, the level of the riders around, the high quality of the park, there are few parks packed with such elements.Sure, you can't expect a huge jump, but I think it's a great place for those who want a stable slide in the summer and those who want to try out what they've been practicing in the off-season, such as indoor slopes and KINGS, in the mountains.It was such an attractive ski resort that made me think that young Japanese people who like parks will come to practice more and more in this area in the future.
